MISHAWAKA — Mishawaka schools’ pro-referenda political action committee organized a town hall meeting Tuesday night to inform residents of the district’s need for more money for facilities and operations totaling $25.6 million. But no one showed up.
The next day, after being contacted by The Tribune and taken to task by several people on social media, the public relations firm working for the PAC put out a news release announcing the dates and locations of four more upcoming meetings.
And Matt Lentsch, the corporation’s public relations and marketing consultant, apologized.
“We apologize if people didn’t hear about it,” Lentsch said. “We did our best to try and promote it.”
In the wake of a failed referendum in 2013 to raise $28 million in property taxes to improve School City of Mishawaka facilities and equipment, school board members and the administration have admitted not enough was done to tell voters the district’s story.
Theodore Stevens, assistant superintendent for instruction and curriculum, organized the Tuesday presentation at the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library.
Many commenters on The Tribune’s Facebook page said they would have liked to attend if they had known about it.
Lentsch, at 10:17 p.m. Monday, emailed a Tribune editor a news release, dated Sept. 5, announcing Tuesday’s meeting.